Page 43 of Alien Healer's Touch

My instincts took over. "This way!" I pulled Selene toward the only passage not yet blocked, shielding her body with mine as debris hailed down. We scrambled over buckling floor plates, leaped a newly formed fissure, and sprinted the last few meters toward the fading promise of dawn light at the cave mouth.

We burst into the open air as the entire structure imploded behind us, a maelstrom of dust and pulverized rock blasting outwards. Selene collapsed, coughing violently. As I helped her clear her lungs, my hand instinctively went to my neck, feeling for the familiar weight of the translation stone. My fingers met only jagged edges and empty space where the crystal matrix should have been. Shattered. The impact, perhaps, or the fall earlier... No time. Survival first.

The markingsalong Selene's arms and wrists pulsed with faint light. She extended her arm to show me.

"That's never happened before," she muttered.

I studied the markings with interest. "Your connection to our world grows stronger."

She stepped forward cautiously, the tingling sensation in her markings intensifying. When she moved a few steps to the right, it diminished.

"I think they're reacting to... stability? This ground feels more solid."

"Trust them," I said simply.

A crack of lightning split the sky, illuminating heavy clouds rolling toward us from the east. The metallic tang in the air confirmed my worst fears - acid rain approached.

"We need shelter," Selene said, looking anxiously at the dark clouds.

"Those clouds carry acid rain strong enough to burn through your skin." I pointed to a dense copse of trees ahead with unusual, waxy leaves that spread out like umbrellas. "Those will shield us temporarily, but we must find better cover before the full storm hits."

We picked our way across the transformed landscape, with Selene leading based on her markings' reactions. Following her instincts, we avoided ground that later collapsed in minor tremors. The peculiar synchronicity between her silver patterns and Arenix's geological activity fascinated me - another sign of the markings' adaptive purpose.

The first drops began to fall as we reached the waxy-leaved trees. The leaves were enormous - each one larger than a human torso - with slick surfaces that channeled water away from the trunk.

"Stay under the canopy," I instructed, pulling her close as rain began to fall more heavily. My body instinctively curved around her smaller frame, protecting her from exposure.

Through the overlapping leaves, we watched droplets slide down the waxy surface. Where one dropped onto an exposed rock, the stone sizzled faintly.

"So that's why you were concerned," she said.

"The first rainfall isn't the worst. It will grow more caustic as the storm strengthens." I scanned our surroundings for better shelter options. The rockslide had altered our position, and I struggled to orient myself in the transformed landscape.

We huddled beneath the natural umbrella, forced close together by the limited protected space. I became increasingly aware of her body pressed against mine, her scent filling my nostrils despite the acrid tang of the acid rain. Our bond seemed to heighten physical awareness rather than diminishing it.

Lightning flashed again, closer this time. Thunder crashed immediately after, the sound reverberating through my chest. More concerning, the lightning had struck a tree less than a hundred paces away, splitting it down the middle. The acid rain immediately began eroding the exposed wood.

"How long will this storm last?" Selene asked, pressing closer as acid rain spattered near her feet.

"Days, sometimes. But the intensity varies." I steadied her as another tremor rumbled beneath us. "We need to find more permanent shelter."

We couldn't remain exposed like this. I caught sight of a rock formation uphill that might offer better protection. "There," I pointed. "If we time our movements between the heavier downpours--"

The ground lurched violently beneath us. A crack split the earth where we stood, widening in an instant. Selene stumbled backward. I lunged forward to grab her, but the ground crumbled beneath both of us.

For a heart-stopping moment, we fell through open air, my arm wrapped protectively around her smaller body. We hit a sloping surface, momentum carrying us through darkness until we splashed into shallow water. The impact drove the breath from my lungs.

"Kavan?" Selene's voice echoed in the darkness.

"I'm here," I managed, relief flooding through me at the sound of her voice. "Are you injured?"

"Just bruised, I think. You cushioned my fall."

In the complete darkness, I relied on Nyxari senses her human eyes lacked. We had fallen into an underground river system, something commonly found beneath Arenix's surface. This one appeared stable, with signs of recent increased flow from the seismic activity.

"We need light," I said, reaching for my healer's pouch. The water had soaked through my garments, but the pouch remained sealed against moisture. I extracted a small piece of bioluminescent fungus, activating it with a specific enzyme from another compartment.

Blue-green light bloomed between us, illuminating our surroundings. We had landed in a shallow tributary of a larger underground river. Stone chambers stretched in both directions, water-carved over millennia. Above, the fissure we'd fallen through had already closed, seismic activity sealing our entry point.

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